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Project Management Skills for the Accidental Project Manager
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Project Management Terms
Project PlanLife Cycle
Schedule of Activities
Tasks
Duration
Dependencies
Resources
Timeline
Budget
• Outlines the deliverables and the deadline and defines your approach
• Identifies who’s on the team
• Should include milestones
• Has multiple components
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Project Management Terms
Project Plan
Life CycleSchedule of Activities
Tasks
Duration
Dependencies
Resources
Timeline
Budget
• Path your project takes from beginning to end
• Includes various phases: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, control and closure
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Project Management Terms
Project Plan
Life Cycle
Schedule of ActivitiesTasks
Duration
Dependencies
Resources
Timeline
Budget
• List of everything that needs to be done
• Consider what you need from start to finish
• Prioritize the things on this list
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Project Management Terms
Project Plan
Life Cycle
Schedule of Activities
TasksDuration
Dependencies
Resources
Timeline
Budget
• Small jobs that make up the larger project
• Completed in incremental steps
• Take into account the resources needed
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Project Management Terms
Project Plan
Life Cycle
Schedule of Activities
Tasks
DurationDependencies
Resources
Timeline
Budget
• The time you believe each task will last
• Calculated after considering resources
• Who will perform the task and their availability
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Project Management Terms
Project Plan
Life Cycle
Schedule of Activities
Tasks
Duration
DependenciesResources
Timeline
Budget
• Tasks that are dependent on the completion of other tasks
• Link these dependencies and set up notifications
• Helps keep the project on track
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Project Management Terms
Project Plan
Life Cycle
Schedule of Activities
Tasks
Duration
Dependencies
ResourcesTimeline
Budget
• The things you need to do the project
• Can include the people on your project team, the equipment and even the project management software you’ll use
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Project Management Terms
Project Plan
Life Cycle
Schedule of Activities
Tasks
Duration
Dependencies
Resources
TimelineBudget
• Visual overview of your project
• Helps you determine your workloads
• Will need to be revised if the project scope or priorities change
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Project Management Terms
Project Plan
Life Cycle
Schedule of Activities
Tasks
Duration
Dependencies
Resources
Timeline
Budget
• The realistic costs to complete the project
• Usually needs approval
• Is usually a range
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Phase One: Project Initiation
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Initial Research
• Reason for the project
– Lays the foundation
• Make a business case
– Analyze the business climate, objectives, scope and constraints
– Include assumptions, expected costs and risks
• Some projects require a feasibility study
– Investigate other solutions
– Dig deeper into the business problem
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What Is a Project Charter?
Authorizes a project and lays out the vision
Gives an overview
Scope
Project team members
Project manager
Authority of the project manager
Objectives
Risks
Includes
Clarifies expectations and explains the plan
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The important thing is to talk to stakeholders.
Understand motivations
Capture the assumptions
and risks
Provide a common starting
point
Involves discussion and
negotiation
Involves various
tradeoffs
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Identify the Stakeholders
Customers
Senior Managers
Team Members
Anyone who can impact or
be impacted by the project
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During This Stage:• Perform a stakeholder analysis
– Capture input and desired outcomes
• Create a stakeholder register– Team members can see who
is driving which requirements
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Create a Summary
How did the project originate and why is it being done?
What are the statutory requirements, if any?
How does it fit into the overall goals of your organization?
What is the thinking behind it?
Precisely what is to be accomplished through the project?
What will change?
How much will XYZ improve?
How much time will it take, what will it cost and how many resources will be needed?
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A project summary can be used to prioritize this project in regards to other projects.
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“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
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Phase Two: Planning
Project Plan
Deliverables
Deadline
Team membersRoles
Milestones
Feedback
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Determining the Project Scope
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Scope summarizes the work needed to make the project a success.
Establishing objectives
Measurable Achievable Relevant Time-boundSpecific
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• Agreement from all stakeholders is critical to defining success.
• The project scope should clearly state what is and what is not included in the project.
• An accurate scope requires clarity and precision.
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Project Plan
Team Member Responsibilities
Specific Project Goals
Deliverables
Costs Features
Functions
Tasks
Deadlines
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Break down the larger project into more
manageable pieces.
How much of each resource will
you need?
Identify Milestones Quantify Your Effort
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Allocating the Resources
Get Project Planning
Tools
AssembleTeams
Vendors, etc…
Organize the Parts
Make a Schedule
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Tools
Teams
Vendors etc…
Organize the Parts
Make a Schedule
What defines the beginning of the project?
DocumentEverything
AutomateTasks With
AlertsList
Dependencies
Put the Data on a Timeline
Mark the Different
Phases
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Prioritize…when everything seems urgent.
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Six Steps to Prioritize Projects
Create a list of all your tasks.
Identify urgent versus
important.
Identify what offers the highest
value to your organization.
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Six Steps to Prioritize Projects
Order tasks by estimated effort.
Be flexible and adaptable.
Know when to cut.
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Be proactive, not reactive.
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Finish Your Project On Time and On Budget
Know your team’s strengths and weaknesses.
Evaluate each team member’s skillset, carefully selecting the right talent.
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Finish Your Project On Time and On Budget
A budget is not a conjecture or a guess.
Successful projects that finish within budget have a clearlydefined scope ahead of the project launch.
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Finish Your Project On Time and On Budget
Set goals with realistic timelines.
Break the project down into smaller more manageable tasks with
due dates attached to each one.
Task Task Task Task
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Finish Your Project On Time and On Budget
Make sure your team understands schedules and
deadlines before the launch.
Involve your team members early in the planning process.
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Finish Your Project On Time and On Budget
Use collaboration tools.
Use project management tools as centralized communication tools for your team.
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Finish Your Project On Time and On Budget
Communicate, communicate, communicate.
Be approachable for your team’s questions and concerns. Acknowledge work that is well done.
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Finish Your Project On Time and On Budget
Know your red flags and be on the lookout for them.
Be proactive enough to notice when things are getting off track and adjust accordingly.
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Finish Your Project On Time and On Budget
Take the time to celebrate milestones.
When the members of your team feel appreciated, productivity will soar.
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Finish Your Project On Time and On Budget
Acknowledge your team for what they’re doing.
Remember, you picked this team for a reason and they’re more than capable
of completing their assignments.
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Finish Your Project On Time and On Budget
Have contingency plans.
Having a contingency plan for each phase and milestone is the best way to ensure success.
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Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• Descending levels of increasing detail about the project deliverables
• First step in creating your WBS:– State the project
– Identify the major set of subprojects or milestone tasks
– Identify key activities for each subproject or milestone
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Organize Your WBS by Functional Area
Project
Task 1 Task 2 Task 3
Task 1.1 Task 1.2 Task 2.1 Task 2.2 Task 3.1 Task 3.2
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The Sticky Note Method
• Bring the entire team into a task-brainstorming meeting.
• Provide each team member with sticky notes.
• Explain the project vision and scope.
• Try to group those present according to their responsibility.
• Ask them to write all the tasks required to complete the project on separate sticky notes.
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The Sticky Note Method
• On a large wall, have them list the functions under each outcome or subproject.
• When the list is compiled, you can begin to view the tasks graphically.
• Move the tasks around as much as necessary according to any dependencies.
• These tasks will become the basis for creating your schedule and budgeting requirements.
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Anticipate Project Bottlenecks and Problems
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Identify and Analyze the Impact of Various Risks and Develop a Plan
Meet with your project team.
Write potential risks on
sticky notes.
Have groups brainstorm
additional risks.
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IMPACT
LIKE
LIH
OO
D
SignificantCritical Low
High
Medium
Low
Risk Mapping
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Recognize and Root Out Project Waste
Money Time Resources
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Over-ProductionProducing more
product or services than is needed faster than it is needed, or before it
is needed.
7 types of waste that can be found in a project:
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Wait TimeUnnecessary waiting for
the tasks to be completed, materials to
be delivered, etc.
7 types of waste that can be found in a project:
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TransportationThe movement of
materials that does not directly support
production.
7 types of waste that can be found in a project:
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MotionEmployee
movement that is not value-added.
7 types of waste that can be found in a project:
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InventoryExcess material
that does not meet “just in time” (JIT)
requirements.
7 types of waste that can be found in a project:
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DefectRepair of a
product to meet customer needs.
7 types of waste that can be found in a project:
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7 types of waste that can be found in a project:
ProcessRedundant work
that does not add value.
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Online Project Management (PM) Tools
• Creating your project plan is easy and efficient
• Many require little to no training
• Many are low cost
• Easy to share the project plan and assign tasks
• Real-time data on the project
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PERT — Project Evaluation and Review Technique
• A way analyze the tasks used to complete projects
• Used to identify the minimum time needed to complete an activity
• Allows you to analyze uncertainty in activity completion times by determining best-case and worst-case scenarios
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PERT ExamplePERT Estimate Equation
ToTe =
Tp[4 Tm]+ +
6
SUBUNIT OR STEP To Tm Tp Te
Task 1
Review current manual for changes.
7 days 10 days 25 days 12 days
Legend
To Time optimistic Tm Time most likely Tp Time pessimistic Te Time expected
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CPM—Critical Path Method
• Helps you complete projects by identifying key tasks
• Consists of multiple paths
• Slack is the extra time available to complete noncritical tasks
• Float are tasks that can be delayed without having an impact on the deadline
Project
Task 1.1
Task 1.2
Task 2.1
Task 2.2
Task 3.1
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Gantt Chart
TASK WEEK 1 WEEK 2 WEEK 3 WEEK 4 WEEK 5 WEEK 6
Needs analysis
Choose computer
Choose software
Make purchases
Install software
Provide training
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Gantt Chart
The start and end dates
The project tasks and who is working on each
How task groups work together
When tasks will start and finish
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Gantt Chart
Thinking through all of
the tasks involved
Calculating the minimum time needed
Identifying essential tasks
Showing the relationship of
tasks in a project
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Task Dependencies
FSFinish-to-Start
Can’t start before a previous and related task
is finished
Can start later
You have to buy land
before you can start building.
SSStart-to-Start
Can’t start until a preceding
task starts
Can start later
Road excavating must start
before asphalt can be laid.
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Task Dependencies
FFFinish-to-Finish
Can't end before a
preceding tasks ends
Can end later
Asphalt must be complete
before painting lines can be completed.
SFStart-to-Finish
Very rare
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Input activities into software or
a template
Chart progress and reflect changes as soon as they occur
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Set checkpoints.
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It can seem like taking the time to do a report isn’t important. However…
…reporting is helpful when a project is off track.
…reporting is the only thing that can prevent absolute project failure.
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How to Make Your Reports More Effective
May concern performance,
schedule or costs
Should always be targeted
Should be as brief as possible
Don’t circulate to too many
recipients Add visuals to help with
understanding
Choose the type of report that best suits
your needs
What will be most beneficial
to you and your team
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Reports cannot tell you about:
Reports can tell you about:
Recorded information
How actions should result from a report
Successes and failures
How the team is keeping track of project tasks
How the program progresses and develops
How to determine further action to use for evaluation
The accuracy of the information
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Effective Communication
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Meets the needs of both teams and stakeholders without over-communicating
Communication factors to consider:
Project Environment
Internal and
External Formal and
Informal
Sensitivity or Confidentiality
Official and
Unofficial
UrgencyAvailability of Technology
Ease of Use
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Communication With Stakeholders
• Manage their perceptions
• Keep expectations realistic
• Continued buy-in
• Minimize conflicts
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Communication With the Team
• Keep everyone moving in the same direction
• Working toward common deadlines, budgetsand objectives
• Creating a motivating environment
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Motivation Killers
Lack of Challenging Work or Variety
Lack of Opportunity for Achievement
Little Recognition
Lack of Belonging
Personal Problems
Work Ethic Is Not Valued
Poor Communication
No Real Sense of Purpose
No Empowerment
Creativity Is Discouraged
Threatened for Making Mistakes
Unclear Goals or None at All
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